Drinking vessel megaphone

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a novel mug that includes a vessel portion and a megaphone portion. The vessel portion is essentially suspended in the megaphone portion by attachment at the drinking rim.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novelty device, particularly amegaphone device for sporting events.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sports enthusiasts use various means to cheer on their favorite athleteor team. They may clap their hands, stomp their feet, bang their seats,yell or scream. Various types of rallying devices, such as megaphones,thunder sticks, noise makers, horns or sirens may also be used. Thenoise generated by cheering fans tends to increase when the fans want tomotivate a particular team or athlete. The fans may also want to loudlyvoice displeasure with the opposing team or with a game official.

Branding is also an important aspect of demonstrating team loyalty. Fansexpress their support by wearing the team colors, painting themselves inthe team colors or by purchasing items that display the favored teamcolors or logo.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,504 describes one type of rallying device. Thedevice essentially comprises a collapsible cone that can be used as amegaphone or as a headgear. It can be imprinted with banner information.Another type of device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,419. This patentdiscloses a combined drinking cup and horn. One end of the combineddrinking cup and the horn is used to drink from while the other end isused to shout through as a megaphone. When the combined cup and horn isbeing used as a cup, the megaphone or horn blowing aperture is pluggedwith a cap. U.S. Design Pat. No. 275,438 discloses a combined mug andmegaphone. The megaphone segment is inserted into the mug part andextends beyond the top of the mug. This can cause problems when tryingto use the mug to drink. Furthermore, in this design there are sharpedges on the inside, which make it nearly impossible to clean.

While various types of rallying devices are available, many of these,such as the air horn, do not easily accommodate a team logo. Otherdevices are expensive to manufacture, bulky to transport and store orare not easily adapted for different teams and/or different sports. Mostnoise making devices make a consistent sound and cannot be used todifferentially express support or displeasure as can the language andthe human voice. Thus, there exists a need for a novel type ofpromotional item that amplifies the human voice and that can accommodateplacement of a team logo or name.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novelty mug that is a combineddrinking vessel and megaphone.

The mug comprises a vessel portion and a megaphone portion. Themegaphone portion is essentially formed by the upstanding tapered wallof the mug. The vessel portion comprises a bottom wall and an upstandingwall. The vessel portion is suspended in the mug with its upper endbeing attached to the upper end of the mug and the bottom wall hangingessentially free. The vessel wall comprises a semicircular or crescentshaped cut away that together with the rim of the mug wall defines amouth hole for the megaphone portion.

The mug is preferably fabricated from a moldable plastic material,preferably polypropylene. The outer surface of the mug may be printedwith promotional material, such as a team logo, name or symbol.

The mug may or may not include a handle. In one preferred embodiment,the handle is provides as a separate module that can be snap fitted intothe wall of the mug. In another embodiment, the handle is an integralhollow handle.

In another preferred embodiment, an information conveying artifact suchas a logo, slogan or name is printed on the mug.

It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide an improvedDRINKING VESSEL MEGAPHONE that acts as both a drinking vessel and amegaphone and that is easily adapted to indicate support for aparticular team or person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent fromthe following description in which reference is made to the appendeddrawings wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate perspective views of an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a megaphone/mug in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention in use as a mug;

FIG. 3 shows a megaphone/mug in accordance with the present invention inuse as a megaphone;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates the stackability of a megaphone/mug in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a stack of mugs of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is of a preferred embodiment that is shown inthe drawings and is an exemplification of the invention and is notintended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.

A combination megaphone and drinking vessel is provided. The “mega-mug”can be used at sporting events, political rallies, conventions, parties,and the like where it is desirable to demonstrate support for a team orperson by cheering, booing, shouting, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, a mega mug 10 comprises a generally cylindricaltruncated cone shape having an open top end 12 and an open bottom end 14and an upstanding wall 16 that extends from the top end to the bottomend and defines a mug wall 16. The overall open end of the mug is flatand does not include any protruding parts. Within the mug wall 16 thereis a vessel portion 18 and a megaphone portion 20. A stabilizing base 22is optionally attached at the bottom end. A handle 24 is provided tofacilitate holding of the device. As can be seen in FIG. 1B the vesselportion is suspended in the mug by attachment of its upper end to theopen top end of the mug.

In use the vessel portion is filled with a beverage. Once the beveragehas been consumed, the mug can be lifted up and used as a megaphone.FIG. 2 illustrates the invention in use as a drinking vessel or mug andFIG. 3 illustrates the invention in use as a megaphone.

The structure and function of the mug can be understood in greaterdetail by referring to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the diameter(d1) of the top end 12 is preferably smaller than the diameter (d2) ofthe bottom end 14 of the mug wall. The vessel portion 18 is generallycup shaped and is disposed within the cavity formed by the mug wall. Thevessel portion 18 comprises a bottom wall 28 and an upstanding wall 30that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and defines an interiorvolume for receiving a liquid through an open top end 32. The interiorsurfaces of the vessel portion have smooth round corners to facilitatecleaning. The interior volume of the vessel portion can be variedaccording to the proposed use. For example, it can be adjusted toaccommodate beer poured at a stadium. A typical stadium pour is fourteenounces in North America while in Europe the typical pour is twentyounces. For a children's party, it may be desirable to have mugs forjuice or soft drinks that are smaller. It is clearly apparent that thevolume of the vessel portion and the corresponding dimensions of the mugcan be adjusted according to the desired use.

The area inside the mug wall that is not occupied by the vessel portiondefines a cavity 34 that is a generally cylindrical tapered megaphoneportion. The vessel portion 18 is suspended in the cavity 34 formed bythe mug wall by the interaction of the open top end 32 of the vesselportion with the open top end 12 of the mug wall. The interaction can beachieved by a snap fit or other mechanism or the top end of the vesselportion may be formed integral with the top end of the chamber thusdefining a single top end or drinking rim 36 that has a consistentheight over the entire diameter.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the upstanding wall 30 of the vessel portionincludes a cut-out segment 38, which is translated into a mouth hole 40at the top end for use of the device as a megaphone. In a preferredembodiment, the cut-out in the vessel portion is circular. The hangingvessel portion acts as a resonator in the megaphone cavity. Vibration inincreased and the volume that is transmitted through the megaphone isamplified. The sound reflecting surface within the megaphone cavity isalso increased. When a user shouts into the megaphone portion, the soundis concentrated in the forward direction. In another embodiment awhistle or other noise making device can be inserted into the megaphoneopening.

The mega mug of the invention can be fabricated from a variety ofmaterials. It is preferably made from a moldable plastic material, suchas polypropylene. Different materials may be used for different types ofevents or memorabilia. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the mugis manufactured from polypropylene and has a matte finish. The mug canbe provided in a wide variety of colors and can be printed with aninformation conveying artifact such as a logo, slogan, team name,advertisement or the like. The handle and mug may be provided in thesame color or different colors. For example, fans of a team whose colorsare black and yellow may prefer a black mug with a yellow handle or viceversa. Fluorescent or luminescent dyes may be included.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the handle is providedas a separate unit to allow the mugs to be stacked for easy storage andhandling as shown in FIG. 6. When there is no handle attached aplurality of vessel portions can be stacked inside each other and themegaphone portions stack over each other. In a preferred embodiment, thehandle is snap fitted into the wall of the mug for use.

An alternative embodiment is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In this embodiment,the handle is hollow to allow for stacking.

The present invention has been described with regard to one or moreembodiments. However, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the artthat a number of variations and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

1. A mug comprising a vessel portion and a megaphone portion, saidvessel portion being substantially suspended in said megaphone portionby attachment at an upper end.
 2. A mug according to claim 1, whereinthe vessel portion comprises a bottom wall and an upstanding walldefining an interior volume.
 3. A mug according to claim 2, wherein thebottom wall is crescent shaped.
 4. A mug according to claim 2, whereinthe interior volume is from about eight ounces to about 30 ounces.
 5. Amug according to claim 4, wherein the interior volume is from aboutfourteen ounces to about twenty-two ounces.
 6. A mug according to claim1 fabricated from polypropylene.
 7. A mug according to claim 6, whereinsaid vessel portion is integrally formed with said megaphone portion. 8.A mug according to claim 1, wherein a noise maker is disposed in saidmegaphone portion.
 9. A mug according to claim 8, wherein the noisemaker is a whistle.
 10. A mug according to claim 1, further comprising ahandle.
 11. A mug according to claim 10, wherein the handle is anattachable/detachable handle.
 12. A mug according to claim 10 whereinthe handle is hollow.
 13. A mug according to claim 1 comprising aprinted information conveying artifact.